The legal status and future of short-term rentals in Springfield will remain in flux for a while longer.

City Council voted 7-1 Monday night to table a proposal legalizing and regulating short-term rentals, operated through online platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO.

The opposing vote came from Councilwoman Kristi Fulnecky, who had attempted to amend the proposal before it was tabled. Fulnecky wanted to legalize short-term rentals through the entire city without additional rules, such as requiring owners to obtain business licenses.

As Tracy Kimberlin, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, noted during that public hearing, opposition to the short-term rental bill came from two different sides.

"We have people who don't want it at all," Kimberlin said. "And we have people who don't want to be regulated at all."

Kimberlin asked council to pass the bill as is, then make changes in the future if needed.

Some Springfield residents were frightened by nameless strangers cycling in and out of their neighborhoods on a regular basis and wanted to see short-term rentals banned, or at least tightly regulated. One person called living near such a house a "nightmare."

Others — many of whom owned short-term rentals — said the proposed rules were too complicated and burdensome and that Springfield should be actively supporting the growing home-sharing economy. They said short-term rentals are safe, clean and good for tourism.

The proposed regulations are the product of more than a year's worth of discussions. The ordinance would have required owners of short-term rentals to obtain annual business licenses and certificates of occupancy. For certain areas, the city laid out distance requirements between different short-term rentals. Some properties, if they're not owner-occupied, would have needed to get a conditional use permit through a lengthy process that costs $1,700. More details are available on the city's website.

In January, the proposal had received a thumbs down from the Planning and Zoning Commission, an advisory board.

One member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, King Coltrin, called the regulations confusing, arbitrary and heavy-handed. He said they would discourage people from operating short-term rentals.

Though short-term rentals are not currently legal, the city has not been enforcing those rules.

In a written statement given to the News-Leader after Monday night's meeting, Fulnecky said she believes supporting short-term rentals "is critical for travel and tourism in Springfield and for allowing citizens the right to use their property as they choose."